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On this page: ALL OF A SUDDEN | COMEDIE-FRANCAISE

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See also: SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL | Last update 7.Oct.26

All of a Sudden Soudain
Review by Rich Cline | 4/5

MUST SEE

dir Ryusuke Hamaguchi
scr Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Lea Le Dimna
prd David Gauquie, Julien Deris, Kosuke Oshida, Yuji Sadai
with Virginie Efira, Tao Okamoto, Kyozo Nagatsuka, Kodai Kurosaki, Jean-Charles Clichet, Marie Bunel, Romain Cottard, Marie Denarnaud, Gabriel Dahmani, Heloise Janjaud, Sephora Pondi, Lazare Gousseau
release Fr 12.Aug.26,
UK Oct.26 lff, US 25.Nov.26
26/France 3h16

CANNES FILM FEST
TORONTO FILM FEST

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Beautifully observed, this lengthy French-Japanese drama dives deep into ideas about what it means to live in a community. While the film sometimes gets rather talky, it's delicately written, wonderfully performed and finely directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi to carry the audience along with a steady pace and a flow of seriously meaty themes. It also becomes an involving exploration of how we react to life's sudden surprises

In Paris, Marie-Lou (Efira) is so dedicated to her job as a care home director that she barely sleeps. She's training staff on the principles of "humanitude", which focusses on maintaining the dignity and independence even of patients with advanced dementia. But this requires more time and attention, and the owners don't want to give her the budget she needs. A chance meeting with autistic Japanese teen Tomoki (Kurosaki) leads Marie-Lou to theatre director Mari (Okamoto), and they begin to have long conversations about how society should embrace its weaker members, not hide them away.

One of the main narrative points involves Mari's terminal cancer, which gives everything a sense of urgency, as she is determined to continue living her life and contributing to society as long as possible. This sends the film on a couple of plot-driven sideroads, such as when Marie-Lou and Mari take an oddly brief trip to Kyoto. And her pointed play, performed by actor Goro (Nagatsuka) features on-screen twice. But every scene is packed with resonant ideas that force us to think about how we see people around us.

Stand-out side roles include Sophie (Bunel), an experienced nurse who doesn't appreciate humanitude, and Djibril (Dahmani), a 26-year-old orderly with rapping ambitions who surprises himself. They add additional textures to the film, including gorgeously naturalistic scenes in which the staff interacts with patients, leading to striking sequences such as when Mari teaches everyone the value of a foot massage. At the centre of this, the friendship between Marie-Lou and Mari is skilfully played by Efira and Okamoto.

Together, these extraordinary actresses give the film an understated, emotive vibe that adds lovely complexity through both sparky humour and heady philosophical discussions. With its mix of French and Japanese dialog, the film requires quite a bit of the viewer, but it rewards us with a reminder of the importance of listening to others and also breaking the surface by asking pertinent questions that seek to understand someone's feelings and perspective. Because that's the only way to feel alive and connected.

strong themes 4.Oct.26

Comédie-Française De la Comédie-Française
Review by Rich Cline | 3.5/5

dir Martin Darondeau, Bertrand Usclat
scr Bertrand Usclat, Martin Darondeau, Pauline Clement, Clemence Dargent
prd Thomas Verhaeghe, Mathieu Verhaeghe
with Pauline Clement, Laurent Stocker, Julien Frison, Marina Hands, Adeline D'Hermy,Sefa Yeboah, Daniele Lebrun, Benjamin Lavernhe, Serge Bagdassarian, Christian Hecq, Sephora Pondi, Florence Viala
release Fr 22.Jul.26,
US Aug.26 bfff, UK 9.Oct.26
26/France 1h14

Now streaming...

d'hermy, stocker,hecq, hands, frison and clement

Quintessentially French, this backstage comedy is set in the grand Parisian theatre, and its entire cast carries the notable "de la Comedie-Francaise" tag. Directors Martin Darondeau and Bertrand Usclat keep the film tightly contained in the wings, playing up the irony while also indulging in some sharply riotous slapstick. And the brisk, spiralling narrative keeps us involved thanks to a terrific cast that's clearly having a ball.

Trouble starts three hours before Nina (Clement) is due to stage her directing debut with the Scottish play at the prestigious Comedie-Francaise theatre. Lead actor Philippe (Stocker) is arguing about lighting and makeup, while his main costar is stuck in Brittany. So Nina must step in to play Lady Macbeth. Meanwhile, Philippe's actress wife Emilie (Hands) is having a fling with young actor Antoine (Frison). Bit player Suzanne (D'Hermy) can't make any sense of Shakespeare, turning to actor-wannabe usher Issa (Yeboah) for help. And veteran actress Nadine (Lebrun) is stoned. Will the show go on?

Squeezed in from all sides, Nina is juggling the flailing cast, a demanding theatre administrator (Bagdassarian), novice makeup artist (Pondi) and even her own infant son. There's also a steady stream of hilarious technical issues for which stage manager Jacques (Hecq) unhelpfully defers to her as director. The film plays up the chaos until everything overflows, leading to a surreal moment involving Moliere (Lavernhe), who inspired the company's founding in 1680.

Clement adeptly keeps Nina likeable as the film's script piles an endless stream of indignities upon her. So we understand why she wants to give up, and also why she can't. She needs to dig deep to get through this evening. All of these characters have surprising edges that give these expert actors plenty to chew on, with a range of both comical and dramatic textures that can never crush their determination to get the play up and running.

Cast and crew members are also determined to express their creativity in their own ways, and Nina is struggling to bring them all into a united vision with so little time before the show goes up. Yes, this is all rather exaggerated, because most of these issues would have been resolved long before this point in time. But the script continually packs witty theatre gags in among the nutty mayhem, while also finding layers of emotional resonance in unexpected places. It may be a bit frothy, but it's also great fun.

themes, language, sexuality 5.Oct.26

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See also: SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL